The hazards of walking while distracted

Have you ever texted a friend while walking down a sidewalk and thought ‘what’s the worst that could happen?’ For this unsuspecting guy, it was almost running into a hungry-looking brown bear. Luckily, everyone turned out okay. But what if that bear had been a car going 30 miles per hour?

Our research report, “Teens and Distraction: An In-Depth Look at Teens’ Walking Behaviors,” is an observational study that tracked a remarkable 34,000 middle- and high-school students crossing the street in a school zone. A shocking 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 8 middle school students were observed crossing the street while distracted by technology.

It’s been an interesting week at Safe Kids Buckle Up! It’s National Teen Driving Awareness Week and we don’t usually get involved in teen driving issues. This year is different though, because of the Safe Kids Countdown2Drive campaign.

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The Safe Kids blog covers a wide range of safety topics, offering valuable tips for parents and caregivers to help you keep your kids safe. In addition, you'll find personal stories shared by parents, insights for new moms and dads, ways to get involved and take action, and more.